Catholic perspectives on abortion are divided between official Church doctrine and the beliefs of many Catholic scholars, organizations, and laypeople. While the institutional Catholic Church presents its opposition to abortion as absolute, historical and theological scholarship shows that Catholic teaching on abortion has never been uniform and continues to evolve over time.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops holds an anti-choice position on abortion, with contemporary Church leadership presenting this stance as continuous with tradition. However, in A Brief, Liberal, Catholic Defense of Abortion, Daniel Dombrowski demonstrates how the modern Church’s absolute opposition is inconsistent with both early Church teachings and contemporary science.
Moreover, many Catholic scholars, religious practitioners, and lay Catholics support abortion rights while grounding their views in Catholic moral principles. An interview with Sister Teresa, a nun and physician, emphasizes that Catholicism must wrestle with conflicts between the sanctity of life and the dignity and freedom of the pregnant person, and notes that the embryo exists “within another” who must be able to make decisions as a full human being. Reflecting these views, a Pew survey reports that six in ten U.S. Catholics support abortion rights, indicating that many modern Catholics diverge from official doctrine while still understanding their position as authentically Catholic. As the organization Catholics for Choice states, “True Catholicism is based on a deep respect for each individual conscience when making moral decisions,” framing abortion as a question requiring careful moral reflection.
